Human skin tanning naturally occurs through environmental exposure to sunlight when the skin produces additional pigment (coloring) to protect itself against burning from ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Ultraviolet radiation, sometimes also called ultraviolet light, is invisible electromagnetic radiation of the same nature as visible light, but having shorter wavelengths and higher energies.
However, the reaction of any one person's skin to UVR present within sunlight is dependent upon the person's skin type and length and quality of exposure, and it is all too common for sunlight exposure to result in erythema, or “sunburn.” In general, people with darker skin complexions can receive more UVR without erythema or suffering skin photo-aging or other upper skin layer damage. In contrast, people with extremely fair skin complexions may burn readily from even limited UVR exposure, and may not be able to effectively tan at all.
“Tanned” skin is generally considered physically attractive and a large market exists to serve people with “sunless” tanning systems. Sunless tanning systems provide a variety of means to achieve skin tanning without sunlight. Artificially-generated UVR lighting systems incorporated in tanning “beds” and “booths” are well-known, popular devices that utilize rows of fluorescent lighting tubes to project UVR upon a person in order to cause the person's skin to tan. Sunless tanning can also be achieved through the topical application of a variety of topical skin tanning solutions. Lotions and creams incorporating the color additive dihydroxyacetone (DHA) have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in sunless tanning since 1977. DHA interacts with the dead surface cells in the outermost layer of the skin to darken skin color. Lotions containing DHA may be applied directly by hand, or through spray nozzle systems. Due to their convenience, spray nozzle systems that atomize the tanning lotion through an atomizing nozzle into a projecting mist have become very popular. They may be manually applied by an applicator moving the nozzle over the body of a person, or automatically applied through systems featuring moving or multiple nozzles, usually in combination with other apparatuses such as enclosures, booth structures, exhaust fans, re-circulating fans, and mist recovery systems.
However, the safe and efficient application of atomized sunless tanning mists upon a person presents a number of problems. In order to assure even application of the tanning products on a user to provide a subsequent evenly tanned appearance, the system must deliver a consistent and uniform quantity and quality of atomized mist upon the entire user, including the face and head areas, as well as the remainder of the body. This uniform application must be balanced with a desire to minimize the amount of atomized mist products inhaled by the user, or impinging upon the nasal, mouth and eye areas.
What are needed are improved sunless tanning systems and methods that provide means for minimizing inhalation and facial area soft tissue exposure of the atomized mist while assuring efficient and uniform application of the atomized mist on the skin areas of the user, in a cost and resource effective manner.